Many vegetables such as broccoli, celery, carrots, and the like are now marketed in bunches. Originally the bunches were held together by wire ties, plastic bags, plastic rings or other means. The vegetables are bunched by hand and it is difficult, expensive, and time consuming to place such a tie around the bunch.
Lately there has been devised a bander which receives an elastic band on outstretched fingers held by pivotable arms grouped around an axis. Thereafter these arms are actuated to pivot the ends away from each other and stretch the elastic band so the vegetable bunch can be inserted therein. With relaxing of the arms the band is set around the bunch and thereafter the bunch is pulled in the axial direction from the bander which releases the band from the fingers so that it stays on the vegetables.
It is one object of the present invention to provide for automatically loading the bands on such a bander. It is a further object of the present invention to provide for the automatic release of the vegetable bunch from the machine after banding is completed.